A Man's Loyal Friend

*The following story is fictional, the information is not based on any particular person. This is a story that is meant to show how humanity seems to be nonexistent in some people's lives.*

My back aches as I try to get as comfortable as I can on the freezing cold bench out in the park. I am hoping the cops don’t pay me a visit and tell me to get off the bench. This bench is the most comfortable thing I can find to sleep on and it is away from all the noise and the people.

Daisy, my dog, sleeps on the patch of grass to the right of the bench.  Her fur is matted up and I am afraid that her health is poor. I don’t know what I would do without her… she is the only friend I have left in this world.

That dog was the only one happy to see me when I came back from war. She did not care that I suffered brain damage and lost my ability to speak the correct way. When my wife left me after she saw no future with a mentally disabled man Daisy stayed by my side.

After mom died and I ended up on the streets she followed me. Some people may think that I should have given Daisy up to a better owner, one that could support her. But Daisy would get depressed. One time before I ended up on the streets and before I decided to fight in the war, I took a trip to my friend’s beach house in Malibu which was about two hours away from where I lived. Two days into my vacation I see Daisy running on the beach towards me.


Sometimes I wish people could have the same compassion and loyalty as a dog.

First Day: Post 10

We all reserve the right to live our lives the way we choose to. Sure, our choices are not always the best but they are our choices. Others may not agree with the way we live our lives but they are our lives to live, not theirs.

When people are walking past a homeless man or woman they most likely look the other way pretending as if they do not see them. Some of these people are simply greedy and unwilling to share their hard earned money with someone else no matter how deeply that other person may be in need of a meal. Other people however, feel guilty not helping the person they had just chosen to ignore but at the same time they are not sure if they can trust a stranger.

I am not going to lie I have been in these situations myself. I know how it feels. You fear that if you give them money they will blow it on drugs or alcohol. When I was little many people told me not to give money to someone who is homeless because you do not know what they will use it for. So when I would see someone begging for change I would look the other way and every time I did that I felt absolutely horrible about myself. In some instances I had food on me or gift cards to food places and I would give them that, but when all I had was some cash I felt useless.

It was not until I was in my church’s youth group that I was told something that completely changed my perception of giving the homeless spare change. I’m not sure how the subject came up but I am truly grateful it did.

Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the man. He was a guest speaker for my church that night and he talked to us about how he would help the homeless people he came across on the streets. He brought up the fear of giving away money to those we barely know and told us that if someone claims to be in dire need of spare change then it is up to you to help them with what you can. Give them any loose change you have or if you can give them enough money to buy a meal. He told us to not worry about what they chose to do with the money just be proud of yourself for giving them the opportunity to buy themselves a meal.

At First Day I have come to see the importance of giving others an opportunity to better their lives. When going through some reports I saw how important it was for the residents to make their own decisions that would better their lives and that all they truly needed was a helping hand and support. Many of them described that the neglect on the streets left them isolated and feeling as if they were not as valuable as other people.

This made me think of what the man in church said and I thought that maybe if we give people the tools they need to get back on track they will be more likely to do so. Instead of treating them as if they are invisible we should treat them with respect and offer them support. By shutting them out and pretending that they are not there is only going to tear down their self-esteem and cause them to lose faith in humanity. But if we show them that they can still turn things around and give them the help they need then maybe they will take it upon themselves to reconnect with the community.

So to all those who feel as if they should give a homeless man or woman the spare change in your pocket but are scared they will waste it, don’t be. As long as you do your part that is all that matters. Leave it up to that person to make their decision and hope that they make the right decision. You can let them know that you want them to use it for what they truly need, but leave it at that. Not all the people you see on the streets waste the money they receive, and for those that do, maybe providing them with small words of advice will help them make the right choice.

Do what you know is the right thing to do. Help those around you in any way you can. Give your advice and hope people use it. Provide people with the necessary tools and hope they do not abuse them. That is all we can really do, the rest is up to those we try to help. 

First Day: Post 9

Stereotyping is simply a part of human nature. Although some may attempt to avoid stereotyping others or may take offense to stereotypes about certain groups of people, stereotyping is a way in which people attempt to find their way around. It is a way to try to separate the good people from the bad, the selfless and the selfish, friends and acquaintances.

When I met with Ted Knoll, the executive director of the Whittier First Day Coalition, we discussed the issue of homelessness. In our discussion he brought up the stereotypical assumptions made by the public. He mentioned that the goal was not to eliminate the stereotypes of what it means to be homeless, instead we had to expand on the stereotypes or alter them.

At first I questioned this tactic, but when I thought about it more thoroughly it made sense. Why? Well to be honest if you think about it the stereotypical idea of someone who is homeless is someone who is either mentally ill, an addict, or a veteran. These are the types of people who make up the homeless population, however, there is more to the story.

You see many people assume that approaching someone who is homeless is something scary. They fear that they may be attacked or be mugged. Others do not give the homeless spare change with the fear that they may waste the money given to them on drugs or alcohol.

What people need to understand is that not all homeless people are a threat and not all of them wish to waste the money they come across on drugs. Some of them want an opportunity to turn their lives around and leave the isolation of the streets to reconnect to society.

When people think of homelessness they should not think of people who have hit rock bottom and have  not way of getting back up. Instead they should think of homelessness as something that can be overcome given the opportunity.